Environment & Energy Educational Opportunities For Students & Adults

Opportunities to learn more about environmental and energy issues affecting Pennsylvania for students and adults--

Awards/Recognition

-- Richard Roush To Step Down As Dean Of Penn State College Of Agricultural Sciences

Upcoming Events

-- WHYY: First Annual EcoFest Coming To Media, Delaware County Sept. 9

-- Reading Eagle: Schuylkill River Greenways Hosts Ride For The River In Pottstown

-- PUC PA One Call Damage Prevention Committee Imposes $186,250 In Penalties For Violation; Next Meeting Sept. 12

-- WHYY: PBS Coming To Philly Sept. 12 To Talk Climate, Community Empowerment At Penn

-- PA Interfaith Power & Light, Jewish Earth Alliance Sept. 20 Webinar On Making Climate-Friendly Appropriations A Priority In The Federal Budget

-- Warren Times: Allegheny National Forest Centennial Celebration Sept. 24 Features Headliner Bands 

-- Manada Conservancy, Dauphin County Hosts Sept. 26 Corridors Of Blue And Green: A Modern Look At Greenways 7:00 p.m.

-- Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council Hosts Sept. 27 Field Day At The Bower Native Plant Landscape &  Sculpture Park In Perry County  [PaEN] 

-- Penn State Extension: Sept. 27 Water Cooler Talk Webinar: Private Wells And Enteric Disease  [PaEN]

-- DEP Hosts Sept. 29 Online Training On New Chapter 105 Environmental Assessment Alternatives Guidance  [PaEN] 

-- GreenGov Council, Penn State Sustainability Hosts 2023 Commonwealth Sustainability Week Oct. 2-6  [PaEN]

-- Philadelphia Solar Energy Assn. Oct. 14 Solar Curriculum Teacher Training, Philadelphia, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

-- Rodale Institute Regenerative Healthcare Conference Farm-To-Healthcare Immersion Nov. 16-17 St. Luke's Hospital, Easton 

Public Participation

-- DEP Holds Sept. 19 Meeting On Ethane Chilling Expansion Project At Energy Transfer Marketing In Marcus Hook Boro, Delaware County

-- EPA Proposes To Add Area Surrounding Former Exide Technologies Laureldale Facility, Berks County To Superfund List; Sept. 28 Public Info Sessions  [PaEN] 

-- Reading Eagle: Contaminated Land Around Berks Battery Plant Site Proposed For Federal Superfund List

-- DEP Invites Comments On Modern Landfill NPDES Water Quality Permit; Hearing Oct. 4 In York County

Programs/Information

-- GridPhilly.com: Wissahickon Environmental Center Inspires Children, Adults and Prospective Environmental Scientists

-- Williamsport Sun: Scout River Ecology Day Helps Clean Up Aquatic Ecosystems At Shikellamy State Park

-- Altoona Mirror: Toad-ally Awesome - Frog Week Citizen Science Project Aims To Monitor, increase Wild Populations Of Amphibians

-- Penn State Research: Microplastics May Increase Riverbed Sediment Movement, Erosion

-- Southwestern PA Water Network Newsletter - The Inaugural Issue

-- WHYY: PA’s Expanded Environmental Justice Policy Goes Into Effect This Month: ‘We Should Be Doing More’

-- NextPittsburgh: Study Of Health Benefits Of Neville Island Coke [Coal] Plant Closure Raises Questions About Clairton Coke Plant

-- DEP: Preliminary Test Results Not Indicative Of Stray Gas Migration Cause Of Plum Boro Home Explosion In Rustic Ridge Allegheny County  [PaEN] 

-- TribLive: Investigators Say Cause Of Fatal Plum Boro Gas Explosion Came From Inside The Home

-- AP: Investigators Pinpoint House As Source Of Gas Explosion That Killed 6 In Plum Boro, Allegheny County

-- PUC: No Evidence Public Utility Natural Gas Equipment Caused 2022 Hialeah Dr. Home Explosion In Plum Boro, Allegheny County  [PaEN]

-- TribLive: PUC Rules Public Utility Equipment Not At Fault In 2022 Plum Boro Home Explosion

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Lessons Of Equitrans 1.1 Billion Cubic Feet Natural Gas Storage Facility Blowout Just Starting To Surface As Gas Injection Season Nears 

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - September 2 to 8; Equitrans Issued NOVs For Failing To Provide DEP Inspectors Access To Facilities As Requested  [PaEN]

-- NJ Spotlight News - Jon Hurdle: Feds Suspend Rule Allowing Natural Gas To Be Shipped By Train, Another Blow To Plan For LNG Natural Gas Export Terminal In South Jersey 

-- PA Parks & Forests Foundation Blog: Group Against Smog & Pollution Guide To Understanding Local Air Quality 

-- WHYY: FEMA Designates PA, DE, NJ Areas As Disaster Resilence Zones, Here’s What It Means

-- GridPhilly.com: Reckless Developments Put Residents In Floods’ Path

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Pennsylvanians Must Face The Reality Of Climate Change And The Increasing Threat Of Flooding - By Megan Tunon, Etna Borough Community Organization  

-- Inquirer/WPost: Home Insurers Begin Cutting Natural Disasters From Policies As Climate Risks Grow [Allstate, American Family, Nationwide, Erie Insurance Groups, Berkshire Hathaway]

-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: What Can One Person Do About Climate Change? Part 5 - Shop Smart

-- NextPittsburgh: Pitt Presents Vision For BioForge Manufacturing Hub At Hazelwood Green Brownfield Redevelopment Site

-- Berks Weekly: Schuylkill River Restoration Fund Awards $350,000 In Grants For 6 Projects

-- French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust Receives $162,100 NFWF Grant For Wildlife Habitat Restoration In Chester County  [PaEN] 

-- Western PA Conservancy Protects 109 Acres Of Forest Land In Warren County As Addition To State Game Land 197  [PaEN]

-- Natural Lands Preserves 53-Acre Farm In Cumberland County To Help Protect The Chesapeake Bay  [PaEN]

-- WITF/LehighValleyNews.com: Environmental Survey Finds Shrinking Open Space A Dominant Concern In Lehigh, Northampton Counties

-- Guest Essay: Allegheny National Forest’s Tracy Ridge Is A Prime Example Of Wilderness Here In The East - By Kirk Johnson, Friends Of Allegheny Wilderness  [PaEN] 

-- WeConservePA, Central PA Conservancy Host Site Visit Walking Letort Spring Garden Preserve Trails In Cumberland County 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Shapiro Pushes Office Of Outdoor Recreation To Boost $14 Billion Tourism Industry

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: PA Outdoor Recreation Office Is Government Done Right

-- Tribune-Democrat: Woodland Wanderings: Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail Boosts Businesses At Both Ends

-- Sept. 8 Take Five Fridays With Pam, PA Parks & Forests Foundation  [PaEN]

-- WESA: Pittsburgh Rolls Out Major Bike Infrastructure Improvements, Including Upgraded Mon Wharf Trail

-- KDKA: Interactive Map Predicts Peak Fall Foliage Times For Western PA Region

-- Inquirer: Fall Foliage Intensity May All Be About The Next Few Weeks Of Weather

-- DCNR Blog: Being Good Stewards Of Ginseng 

-- Williamsport Sun - Bill Bower: Reflections In Nature: Presence Of A Few Slugs Isn’t Necessarily A Bad Thing

-- WESA: Species Of Freshwater Mussel Found In Western PA Might Soon Be Listed As Endangered

-- The Allegheny Front: Hunting For Invasive Snails In Lake Erie

-- TribLive: Another Alligator Sighting In The Kiski River Reported To Authorities 

-- TribLive: Kiski Twp. Officials Draft Ordinance To End Alligator Ownership; Police Fear More Gators Are In Kiski River

-- TribLive Editorial: Do We Need More Gator Laws?

-- KDKA: Smashing Spotted Lanternfly Myths: Study Finds They May Not Be As Harmful To Vegetation As Once Thought

-- TribLive: Saint Vincent Professor Seeks Public’s Participation In Spotted Lanternfly Research

-- Update On PA Firefly Festival And 2023 Firefly Season! Luminaries In Firefly World  [PaEN]

-- Penn State: New Updates Come To 'Beescape,' An Online Tool For Supporting Pollinators

-- PA/NJ Chapter American Chestnut Foundation: Fall Meeting Nov. 4; Festival Of Wood Sept. 23-24; Much More! 

-- Forests For The Chesapeake Bay: The Gumball Tree; Cicada Killer Wasp; Big Tooth Aspen; Upcoming Events; More! 

-- The Nature Conservancy: Pennsylvania Nature News: Great Escapes; 2023 Photo Contest; Volunteers Needed; More!

Background On Issues

-- PA Chapter Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Oppose Transfer Of $150 Million From Game Fund To Clean Streams Fund In Senate Budget Bill; Could Make State Ineligible For Federal Wildlife Funds  [PaEN]

-- PA Federation Of Sportsmen & Conservationists Oppose State Budget Bill Transfer Of $150 Million From Game Commission Fund To Clean Streams Fund

-- Bay Journal - Karl Blankenship: Lack Of Staff In Conservation Agencies Barrier To Reducing Farm Runoff In Chesapeake Bay Watershed

-- KDKA: Natural Gas Gathering Pipeline Crashes Into, Thru Westmoreland County Home And A Loophole In State Law That Doesn’t Regulate Gathering Pipelines For Safety  [PaEN]

-- DEP Provides Oil & Gas Advisory Board With Updates On Well Plugging Financial Assurance; Pitt Health Studies; Funding Options For Program; Civil Penalty Policy  [PaEN]

-- Republican Rep. Krupa Introduces HB 1656 To Ban Oil, Gas Wastewater Injection Wells To Protect The Public From Radioactive, Toxic Materials  [PaEN]

-- Inside Climate News: New PA Legislation Aims To Classify Oil & Gas Wastewater As Hazardous Waste

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - September 2 to 8; Equitrans Issued NOVs For Failing To Provide DEP Inspectors Access To Facilities As Requested  [PaEN]

-- State Dept. Of Health Invites Citizens To File Environmental Health Complaints Related To Natural Gas Development; Health Will Also Review Environmental Test Results  [PaEN] 

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Leaders Aren’t Helpless And Must Take Action To Protect Constituents From Natural Gas Development Health Impacts - By Tom Pike, Penn Twp., Westmoreland County

-- The Daily Item Guest Essay: Is Natural Gas Development Good For Pennsylvania? $3.8 Billion In PA Taxpayer Subsidies; University Of Pittsburgh Health Studies; Methane Leaks; Jobs Decline - By Sandy Field, Climate Reality Project - Susquehanna Valley Chapter

-- Reading Eagle Guest Essay: PA Farmers Benefit From Strong Natural Gas Industry, Don’t Adopt A Severance Tax - By Matt Espenshade, President Of PA State Grange

-- Observer-Reporter: Operating In Marcellus Energizes Range Resources  [Puff Piece On Shale Gas Industry, Nothing On Real Impacts To Environment, Health In PA’s Most Densely Drilled County-- Washington] 

-- Guest Essay:  Support Solar Energy For Family Farms And Build A Stronger Economy And Grid - By Chad Forcey, PA Conservative Energy Forum  [PaEN] 

-- Capital & Main - Audrey Carleton: Environmentalists Demand Answers About PA Governor’s Secretive Committee On Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative

-- WESA: New Documentary Buries Appalachia’s ‘King Coal’

-- PennLive: Report - PA Schools Rated ‘F’ For Efforts To Remove Lead From Drinking Water

-- Post-Gazette: Environmental Group, Teachers Union Sound Alarm On State’s Inaction On Lead In School Drinking Water

-- Huntingdon Daily News: PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ Found In Little Juniata River

-- TribLive: Dozens Of Pittsburgh Public Schools Move To Remote Learning Because Of Heat Wave

-- Inquirer: 74 Philly Schools Closing Early This Week Due To Extreme Heat

-- MCall: Allentown School District Plans Early Dismissals All Week Because Of Extreme Heat

-- PennLive Editorial: Climate Change No Hoax, It’s Too Darn Hot

-- AP: This Summer Was Global Record Breaker For Highest Heat Ever Measured Meteorologists Say

Visit the PA Parks & Forests Foundation’s Events webpage and DCNR’s Calendar of Events for activities happening near you.

Visit DEP’s Teaching Green webpage to learn about more environmental education resources.

Visit the PA Environment Digest Calendar Of Events for more opportunities.

[Posted: September 10, 2023]  PA Environment Digest